PixlBit

                                             

     On Sunday I finally finished achievement hunting in Just Cause for Xbox 360. I had played it back in '06 when it came out but never to completion. The very last story mission was too tough. I thought, now that I'm going to liberate the whole island before I get to the last mission, it should be easier, because Salvador Mendez, the final boss, will have less forces to work with. Well, other problems stopped me from getting 100%.

     One such problem was a mission near the end that just wouldn't let me win. It was the one where you have to escort some rebels into the police station, only they get captured just as you get there and you have to rescue the female head rebel. I did this mission many different ways and read a guide too, but I could never get to her fast enough before they shot her and I failed the mission. 

    So I gave up on the main storyline just before the mission where you go after the final boss. But I could still liberate the rest of the island. Only I couldn't for two reasons. One involved being unable to destabilize certain regions because I hadn't done the story mission, and another involved being unable to liberate certain government strongholds. The first one, I had no control over, but the second had me trying different tactics to figure out. One was liberating every government town surrounding the difficult one, which seemed to cut down on their numbers, but not enough. The main problem was government tanks which can rapid fire and see you where ever you are. I tried stealing one, no problem, but a second tank blew me up and then as I climbed out of the burning wreck, it skewered me with shell after shell before I could find cover. I brought a helicopter gun ship and liberated one town, but got shot down in another. I just couldn't beat certain towns 'cause they were filled with these unfair rapid firing tanks! After this became REALLY frustrating, I switched to getting the achievements for stunts like grabbing helicopters in mid-air and base jumping. The stunts for boats though were a real pain and I gave up on that one. 

   Overall the game was hugely enjoyable and made me think of several other games I've played that feel similar like Total Overdose on Original Xbox and Crackdown on 360. 

     My favorite part of Just Cause was the helicopters and flying from town to town, liberating them with some good old third-person shooting. Just lifting off from a helipad and soaring over the trees was such a thrill. The game looks gorgeous even today, although the cut scenes are aging a bit. I just wish those last few missions and last few government towns weren't so tough.